Curriculum Aims

Religious Education has an integral place in the curriculum by being based on fundamental questions and issues about life, values, identity, and truth. Learning develops the students spiritually, morally, socially, and culturally. The RE curriculum at Gartree High School is organised to support the development of student knowledge of religious and secular beliefs and worldviews, practices and ways of life and enable students to make links between these. World events in the 21st century draw attention to the continuing power and significance of religious belief and other beliefs and philosophies in shaping human minds and communities. Students’ understanding of the world, different faiths and beliefs is important in promoting understanding between all people. This is important as Gartree High School is an ethnically and culturally diverse school that sits proudly in a multicultural community and city.

Religious Education enables understanding of concepts and the development of skills and attitudes so that our students can explore wider issues of religion and belief in religiously literate ways to respect and understand differences. The curriculum prepares the students for active citizenship in a diverse and rapidly changing world, promoting values of openness, appropriate questioning, understanding and tolerance. The curriculum makes space for all students to explore their own beliefs, values, and traditions, and those of others. Lessons provide a safe space for students to develop their understanding of people, cultures, faiths, and relationships along with a curiosity to ask big questions and to wonder about the world in which we live.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum is influenced by our school mission statement, which aspires to personal excellence and aims to enable all children, regardless of background or ability, to flourish. Students at Gartree High School receive one 50-minute lesson of Religious Education a week. The curriculum is heavily influenced by the current Leicestershire Agreed Syllabus, the local Religious Education framework for schools, based on the three core elements of making sense of beliefs, making connections, and understanding the impact. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all students. In Religious Education, students are encouraged to discuss and debate about religion, philosophical and ethical issues. There is a focus on the teachings, beliefs, and practices of the six major world religions that make up the modern face of multicultural Britain.

Students are encouraged to participate in the Humanities Explorer initiative to visit local historic, geographical, and cultural landmarks to attain a gold, silver, or bronze award. Students are also further supported to continue their learning through the Humanities Challenge booklet to conduct further research and independent study of the topics learnt about in lessons.

There are between three or four units to be studied each year at Key Stage 3:

Year 7: Founders and Leaders; Customs, Celebrations and Rituals and Sacred Sites and Holy Places

Year 8: Origins of the Universe; Prejudice and Discrimination and Suffering, Human Rights and Social Justice

Year 9: Moral and Ethical Issues and then the beginning of the GCSE Religious Studies short course

Our curriculum is influenced by our school mission statement, which aspires to personal excellence and aims to enable all children, regardless of background or ability, to flourish. Students at Gartree High School receive two 50-minute lessons of Geography a week. The curriculum is based upon the National Curriculum and is supported by clear skills development and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all students. Learning opportunities outside of the classroom are factored into the curriculum to enable students to experience geography in action with residential trips offered to both Snowdonia in Wales and Iceland, which enhances the students’ understanding of the world. Students are encouraged to participate in the Humanities Explorer initiative to visit local historic, geographical and cultural landmarks to attain a gold, silver or bronze award. Students are also further supported to continue their learning through the Humanities Challenge booklet to conduct further research and independent study of the topics learnt about in lessons.

By the time students leave Gartree High School, we want them to develop into tolerant, open-minded, and respectful young people with a curious and inquisitive mind. Students will develop a range of valuable skills throughout their course of study which will prepare them for both GCSE Religious Education (short course) and the wider world. They will;

• develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and non-religious beliefs.

• develop their knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, teachings, and sources of wisdom and authority, including through their reading of key religious texts, other texts, and scriptures of the religions they are studying.

• construct well-argued, well-informed, balanced, and structured written arguments, demonstrating their depth and breadth of understanding of the subject.

• engage with questions of belief, value, meaning, purpose, truth, and their influence on human life.

• reflect on and develop their own values, beliefs, and attitudes in the light of what they have learnt and contribute to their preparation for adult life in a pluralistic society and global community.

Key Stage 4

Course: GCSE Religious Studies (short course)

Exam Board: AQA A (8061)

Final Assessment: One 1 hour and 45-minute exam taken at the end of Year 10

Curriculum Aims

At Key Stage 4, students follow the AQA specification for a GCSE Religious Studies short course qualification. Religious Education is rebranded at this stage as Philosophy and Ethics. The course covers religious, philosophical, and ethical themes, ensuring students have a variety of intriguing subjects to explore. Students are challenged with questions about belief, values, meaning, purpose, and truth, enabling them to develop their own values and attitudes towards religious issues. Students gain an appreciation of how religion, philosophy and ethics form the basis of our culture. Students develop analytical and critical thinking skills, the ability to work with abstract ideas, leadership, and research skills. All these will help prepare students for further study.

Curriculum Overview

The GCSE curriculum starts near the beginning of Year 9 to give the subject greater purpose, significance and meaning with students at a time of Option choices. It is an extension of what students have learnt at Key Stage 3 and offers a seamless transition to Key Stage 4. Students at Gartree High School receive one 50-minute lesson of Religious Education a week in Year 9 and a 30-minute lesson in Year 10 with timetabled sessions in form time throughout Year 11 exploring religious, philosophical and ethical themes relating to current social issues. This is also supported through themed assemblies throughout the year.

The Religious Studies short course qualification has a clear structure with two main components. Students consider different beliefs and teachings to religious and non-religious issues in contemporary British society with Christianity and Buddhism the nominated two religions. Students are made aware that Christianity is one of the diverse religious traditions and beliefs in Great Britain today with Buddhism chosen as a clear contrast for comparison. Students study the beliefs and teachings of both Christianity and Buddhism along with their basis in religious sources of wisdom and authority. 

Students throughout their learning are encouraged to refer to scripture and/or sacred texts where appropriate to support particular beliefs and teachings. Students who are practicing Muslims can opt to take Islam instead of Buddhism for the final examination, but any preparation is through private, independent study outside of school.

There are two world religions, and two religious, philosophical and ethical themes studied for the qualification over a near two-year period:

Christianity (Beliefs and teachings)

Buddhism (Beliefs and teachings)

Theme: Relationships and Families

Theme: Religion, Peace and Conflict

Further details of the GCSE RE specification can be found here:

https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/rs/specifications/AQA-8061-SP-2016.PDF

In Year 11, students will continue to develop, consolidate and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the big issues affecting modern society and the wider world to ensure they leave Gartree High School with an awareness of different beliefs and attitudes of these key themes.

The following themes are addressed in extended form time sessions and supported by assemblies throughout the year:

Religion and Wealth

Religion and the Environment

Religion, Evil and Suffering

Religion and War

Religion and Family

Religion, Prejudice and Discrimination

Students do have the option (should they choose) to continue the qualification to a full course in Year 11 following the AQA A specification. This includes a more in-depth study of two major world religions along with four religious, philosophical and ethical themes:

Christianity (Beliefs, teachings and practices)

Buddhism (Beliefs, teachings and practices)

Theme: Relationships and Families

Theme: Religion, Peace and Conflict

Theme: Religion, Crime and Punishment

Theme: Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice

Parents and carers should be aware that they have the legal right to withdraw their child from all or part of the Religious Education curriculum. If this is the case, contact needs to be made with the Headteacher to consent to this arrangement.